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Magic Lantern Films takes its name from the old Magic Lantern Theater, now called the Isla Vista Theater. In the 1970s, the Magic Lantern was an art house that screened classic, independent and foreign films.

The new Magic Lantern picks up where the old one left off by screening critically acclaimed films as well as cult classics. The diverse selection of films will appeal to a variety of audience tastes.

Films screen every Monday night and Thursday night at 8pm during the school year, and every Friday night at 8pm during the summer! Check our schedule for the date and location. Free for UCSB students/$6 for general admission.

FALL 2024 SCHEDULE

LONGLEGS

IV Theater
Thursday October 3

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: OZ PERKINS
2024 / 101MIN

FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
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KINDS OF KINDNESS

IV Theater
Monday October 7

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: YORGOS LANTHIMOS
2024 / 164MIN

A triptych fable following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.
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IMMACULATE

IV Theater
Thursday October 10

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: MICHAEL MOHAN
2024 / 89MIN

An American nun embarks on a new journey when she joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. However, her warm welcome quickly turns into a living nightmare when she discovers her new home harbours a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.
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ROSEMARY'S BABY

IV Theater
Thursday October 10

10:00pm

DIRECTOR: ROMAN POLANSKI
1968 / 137MIN

A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.
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Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN

IV Theater
Monday October 14

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: ALFONSO CUARÓN
2001 / 105MIN

Two Mexican teens are forever changed when they take a road trip with a married woman. Expecting a sizzling adventure, the teens receive an education in life and love instead. Along the way, simmering jealousies boil over into savage arguments and threaten to destroy their friendship.
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CUCKOO

IV Theater
Thursday October 17

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: TILMAN SINGER
2024 / 102MIN

After reluctantly moving to the German Alps with her father and his new family, Gretchen discovers that their new town hides sinister secrets, as she’s plagued by strange noises and frightening visions of a woman pursuing her.
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I SAW THE TV GLOW

IV Theater
Thursday October 17

10:00pm

DIRECTOR: JANE SCHOENBRUN
2024 / 100MIN

Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
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THE SHINING

TD-W 1701
Monday October 21

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: STANLEY KUBRICK
1980 / 146MIN

Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren’t prepared for the madness that lurks within.
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ALIEN: ROMULUS

IV Theater
Thursday October 24

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: FEDE ÁLVAREZ
2024 / 119MIN

While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
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REAR WINDOW

IV Theater
Monday October 28

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: ALFRED HITCHCOCK
1954 / 112MIN

A New York magazine photographer is confined to his apartment after breaking his leg. He passes the time by spying on his neighbors from his window, and suspicious goings-on in one of the apartments lead him to believe that someone has been murdered.
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PSYCHO

IV Theater
Monday October 28

10:00pm

DIRECTOR: ALFRED HITCHCOCK
1960 / 108MIN

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.
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SCOOBY-DOO

IV Theater
Thursday October 31

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: RAJA GOSNELL
2002 / 87MIN

When the Mystery Inc. gang is invited to Spooky Island, a popular amusement park, they soon discover that the attractions aren’t the only things that are spooky. Strange things are happening, and it’s up to Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma to uncover the truth behind the mysterious happenings.
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DÌDI

TD-W 1701
Monday November 4

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: SEAN WANG
2024 / 91MIN

In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.
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SHOPLIFTERS

IV Theater
Thursday November 7

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: HIROKAZU KOREEDA
2018 / 120MIN

After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces. Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them.
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THE PERSIAN VERSION

TD-W 1701
Thursday November 14

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: MARYAM KESHAVARZ
2023 / 107MIN

When a large Iranian-American family gathers in New York City for the patriarch’s heart transplant, a family secret is uncovered and catapults the estranged mother and daughter into an exploration of the past.
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THE DARJEELING LIMITED

IV Theater
Monday November 18

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: WES ANDERSON
2007 / 91MIN

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other – to become brothers again like they used to be. Their “spiritual quest”, however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray).
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ROBOTS

IV Theater
Thursday November 21

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: CHRIS WEDGE
2005 / 90MIN

Rodney Copperbottom is a young robot inventor who dreams of making the world a better place, until the evil Ratchet takes over Big Weld Industries. Now, Rodney’s dreams – and those of his friends – are in danger of becoming obsolete.
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THE WILD ROBOT

IV Theater
Thursday November 21

10:00pm

DIRECTOR: CHRIS SANDERS
2024 / 102MIN

After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island’s animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.
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